Box assembly apparatus



Feb. 26, 1963 w. FLYNN ETAL 3,078,769

BOX ASSEMBLY APPARATUS Filed Nov. 1, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS WILLIAM FLYNN 8; BY WALTER W. WILSON ATTOR NEYS 1953 w. FLYNN ETAL 3,07

BOX ASSEMBLY APPARATUS Filed Nov. 1, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 WILLIAM FLYNN a WALTER w. WILSON v ATTORNEYS 1963 w. FLYNN ETAL 6 BOX ASSEMBLY APPARATUS Filed Nov. 1, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 124 why w 14 "8 u 28 INVENTORS WILLIAM FLYNN 8 BY WALTER W. WILSON flaw), fiufi flwi ATTORNEYS FIG. 4.

Feb. 26, 1963 w. FLYNN ETAL 3,

BOX ASSEMBLY APPARATUS Filed Nov. 1, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS WILLIAM FLYNN a F BY WALTER w. WILSON ATTOR N EYS Feb. 26, 1963 w. FLYNN ETAL 3,078,769

BOX ASSEMBLY APPARATUS Filed Nov. 1, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS WILLIAM FLYNN 8:

BY WALT ER W. WILSQN ATTOR NEYS 3,078,769 30X ASSEMBLY APPARATUS William Flynn, Philadelphia, and Walter W. Wilson, Levittown, Pa., assignors to Metal Edge Industries, Harrington, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Nov. 1, 1961, Ser. No. 149,245 20 Claims. ((31. 93-411) The subject invention relates to the art of fabricating paper and cardboard boxes and relates more particularly to the combination of a stayer machine for applying corner stays to secure the assembled boxes and to a machine for automatically feeding box flats to the stayer machine in position for the application of the corner stays.

Heretofore, it has been the general practice to employ an operator for each stayer machine. This operator normally takes each box fiat, folds the flaps thereof and applies the folded box fiat to the stayer machine one corner at a time, whereupon, each corner is secured by the application of a corner stay. This procedure has been found to have several disadvantages. First, this procedure requires the employment of an operator for each stayer machine and it is not unusual for one manufacturing company to require five or six machines. Although previous attempts have been made to reduce the number of operators required, the development of so-called quad stayers, wherein the stays are applied to four corners of a box simultaneously, have not proved to be completely satisfactory mainly because an inordinate amount of time is required to reset the machine for each size of box which is to be fabricated.

A second disadvantage of prior known devices resides in the fact that, since the operators fingers come very close to the operating mechanism of the stayer machine, elaborate safety devices have heretofore been required in order to protect the operator from serious injury. Reference may be made to assignees prior Patent No. 2,997,714, issued August 29, 1961, wherein the details of such elaborate safety means are fully disclosed.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an automatic box feeding mechanism in combination with a stayer machine wherein the box fiats are automatically positioned in the stayer machine without the necessity of an operator performing this function.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a combined stayer and box feed system wherein the box flats are automatically folded and positioned in the stayer machine.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automatic box feeding system wherein adjustment may be made easily to accommodate box flats of various sizes.

The attainment of the foregoing and other objects of the invention, particularly relating to the details of construction and operation, will become more fully apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View illustrating a preferred embodiment of the complete box assembly system;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view, partly in section, showing the complete system of FIGURE 1 with the housings removed;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of FIGURE 3 showing a portion thereof in section;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevational view, partly in section, taken along line 5-5 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 6 is a schematic view of the control system employed to actuate the various components of the system.

Referring now to the drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, FIGURES 1 and 2 ice show the complete system which, in general, comprises an adjustable support rack 10, a box flat positioning mechanism 20, a stayer machine 30 and a conveyor 40. Before describing each component of the system in detail, it will be understood from FIGURES 1 and 2 that adjustable support rack 10 supports a stack of unfolded box flats 12 which are removed one at a time from the rack by positioning mechanism 20 when the latter is rotated to the position shown in phantom line in FIGURE 2. Positioning mechanism 20 then moves back to its full line position, folds two flaps of the box fiat and holds the folded flaps adjacent the anvil 14 of stayer machine 30 while the latter applies a corner stay thereto. Positioning mechanism 20 then rotates and laterally shifts the box fiat so that each of the remaining three corners are successively folded and positioned for the attachment of the other three corner stays, whereupon, the completed box is dropped on conveyor 40 and carried to the next assembly line position which, for example, may be the position at which the box is filled or imprinted or otherwise treated. It will also be noted that the complete box feeding mechanism is supported on an adjustable skid 16 which is connected to skid 18 containing the stayer machine thereby providing a complete and integral system.

Positioning mechanism 20 will now be described with particular reference to FIGURES 1 through 4 wherein the mechanism is shown to be supported by pedestal 22, the height of which may be adjusted by actuation of means to be described hereinafter. As shown most clearly in FIGURE 3, the upper end of pedestal 22 terminates in an integral bearing 24 in which one end of shaft 26 is journalled for rotation. The other end of shaft 26 extends outwardly of bearing 24 and is secured to housing 28 which supports the entire positioning mechanism. As further shown in FIGURE 3, pedestal 22 carries a rack 44 which is actuated by pneumatic cylinder 46 and which engages gear 48, the latter being rigidly secured on shaft 26 inter.- media-te bearing 24 and housing 28. In turn, housing 28 includes an extending arm portion 50 which carries a vertical support member 52 having a plurality of apertures 53 the uppermost of which is shown as receiving bolt 54 whereby a cylinder support member 56 is secured to vertical support member 52. It will be understood that the plurality of apertures 53 are provided so that support 56 may be selectively positioned at various heights relative to arm 50. In turn, cylinder support member 56 receives one end of each of cylinders 58 and 60 thereby supporting cylinders 58 and 64) in the parallel spaced relationship shown in FIGURE 1. At this point it should be noted that each of cylinders 58 and 60 contain a piston rod 62 which may be reciprocated from the retracted position shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 to the extended position shown in FIGURE 1.

As shown in FIGURE 4, vertical support member 52 includes an integral lower portion 52' which depends from arm 50 and which carries a centrally located shaft 66 which is hollow and which is provided with a closure plug 68 at the right hand end thereof, the left hand end being inserted through the central portion of a suction cup member 70. Shaft 66 is slidably journalled in bearing sleeves 72 and 74 which are retained in lower portion 52' of support 52 and partition 76, respectively. Lower portion 52 and partition 76 also serve to secure opposite ends of a slide bar 78 upon which actuating member 80 is slidably journalled by means of ball bearings 82. The lower portion of actuating member 80 receives the external end 84 of a double acting piston rod 86 the piston of which reciprocates within pneumatic cylinder 88. In the illustrated embodiment, cylinder 88 is shown to be supported by the lower portion of partition 76 and piston rod 86 is shown to be secured to actuating member 80 by means of lock nuts 90 although it will be understood that various other mechanical arrangements are obviously possible.

The upper portion of actuating member 80 is provided with a split, cylindrical sleeve 92 which is axially retained on shaft 66 by apair of split rings such that the reciprocation of member 30 by cylinder 88 is transmitted to shaft 66, however, sleeve 92 also acts as a bushing to permit rotation of shaft 66 relative to member 80. In addition, member 80 is of partially split construction so that the frictional engagement between shaft 66 and split sleeve 92 may be adjusted to provide a desired degree of drag on shaft 66.

As further shown in FIGURE 4, a vacuum seal assembly 94 is secured to actuating member 80 by means such as bolt 96. Seal assembly 94 includes a pair of wiper seals 98 which surround and engage shaft 66 on opposite sides of a port 100 which is provided in shaft 66 and which communicates with the hollow interior thereof. It is to be understood that seal assembly 94 is provided with suitable means for connecting a vacuum line to port 100 whereby a vacuum pressure may be created within the hollow interior of shaft 66. For example, the connecting means may include an externally extending nipple over which the end of a rubber hose may be connected. Since the particular details of the connecting means form no part of the present invention they have not been illustrated in detail and many obvious methods of connection will readily occur to one skilled in the art.

In order to etfect rotation of shaft 66 about its longitudinal axis, a plurality of gear driven clutch assemblies 102, 104 and 106 are provided at axially spaced positions along shaft 66 and within housing 28. Since each of assemblies 102, 104 and 106 are identical in construction, only the right-most assembly shown in FIGURE 4 will be described in detail. This assembly includes an annular gear 108 having circumferentially disposed teeth which are in meshing engagement with the teeth on rack 36. Gear 108 is rigidly secured to driving clutch plate 110 by means such as pin 112 and a driven clutch plate 114 is non-rotationally secured to friction sleeve 116 by means such as a pin 118. It is to be understood that clutch plates 110 and 114 are intended to be those of a con ventional one-way clutch so that each of driving gears 102, 104 and 106 may be operated independently, the non-operating gears remaining stationary when any one of the three is actuated.

Racks 3436 are supported in guides 37-39 and are actuated by means of double acting cylinders 41, 42 and 43, respectively, the latter being suitably secured to platform member 28' which forms the bottom of housing 28. Cylinders 41, 42 and 43 include externally extending rods 120, 122 and 124 to which fixed stops 126, 128 and 130 are rigidly secured. In addition to these fixed stops, rods 122 and 124 are provided with removable stops 132 and 134 the function of which will be set forth hereinafter.

From the foregoing description it should be apparent that positioning mechanism 20 is capable of performing the following motions. First, actuation of cylinder 46 will cause rack 44 to reciprocate whereby gear 48 and shaft 26 are rotated about the longitudinal axis of shaft 26. Since housing 28 is rigidly secured to shaft 26, the entire positioning mechanism may be rotated from the full line position shown in FIGURE 2 to the phantom line position, whereupon, actuation of cylinder 46 in the opposite direction to that justdescribed will cause the entire positioning mechanism to rotate back to the full line position. Secondly, actuation of double acting cylinder 88 will cause reciprocation of shaft 66 so that it may be extended to each of the phantom line positions shown in FIGURE 2 as well as retracted therefrom. Similarly, actuation of cylinders 58 and 60 enables'rods 62 to be extended to the position shown in FIGURE 1 as well as retracted therefrom.

Reference is now made to FIGURES 2 and which relate to the means whereby pedestal 22 may be raised and lowered as well as laterally translated. Referring first to FIGURE 5, numeral 136 designates an electric motor mounted on pedestal base plate 150 which drives gear 140 through a reduction gear unit 138. In turn, gear 140 drives gear 142, the hub 144 of which is rigidly secured to shaft 145 which is threaded throughout the major portion of its length. As further shown in the cut-away section of FIGURE 2, the upper end of shaft 145 is journalled within pedestal base plate with a thrust bearing 152 being positioned between the plate and the end of shaft 145. The threaded portion of shaft 145 is received within threaded portion 146 of platform member 148, whereby, actuation of motor 136 and the consequent rotation of shaft 145 will cause pedestal 22 to be raised and lowered with respect to platform member 148. In order to limit the maximum extent of vertical motion of pedestal 22, a pair of limit switches 154 and 156 are carried by depending arm 158 attached to pedestal base plate 150. In operation, limit switches 154 and 156 open the circuit supplying power to electric motor 136 upon engaging the upper and lower edges of platform member 148, respectively.

In order to stabilize pedestal 22, a pair of slide rods 160 and 162 are rigidly secured to pedestal base plate 150. Slide rods 160 and 162 are received in guide cylinders 164 and 166 which are rigidly secured to platform member 148 and thereby serve to guide the vertical motion of pedestal 22.

In addition to the above-described vertical motion of pedestal 22, it is necessary that the pedestal be capable of lateral displacement as viewed in FIGURE 5. This lateral displacement is achieved by rigidly mounting platform member 148 on slide plate 164, the latter of which is slidably supported in a pair of parallel tracks 166 which are secured to flanges 167 of a stationary frame member 172. A pair of stationary plates 168 and 170 are also bolted or otherwise secured to opposite ends of tracks 166. Plate 168 is secured by nuts 186 to piston rod 184 of a double acting power cylinder 176 which is carried by slide plate 164. Similarly, a single acting power cylinder 174 is rigidly secured to member 148 and contains a piston 180. In FIGURE 5, the carriage assembly is shown as being in its left-most position wherein piston 80 is in abutment with adjustable limit 182 mounted on plate 168.

Automatic stop mechanism 178 performs the function of adjustably limiting the amount of lateral displacement which may be executed by the carriage assembly. Automatic stop mechanism 173 includes an electric motor 188, gear train 1%, shaft 192 having oppositely threaded portions 194 and 196, guide rod 198, abutment 206 and a pair of stop blocks 202, 204 which are thrcadedly engaged on shaft 192 and slidably engaged by rod 193. In operation, motor 188 rotates shaft 152 through gear train 190 and thereby laterally shifts the position of stop blocks 262 and 284 which move toward or away from each other by reason of the opposit ly threaded portions 194 and 196 of shaft 1%. Once the desired position of blocks 202 and 204 has been achieved, motor 183 is stopped and the carriage assembly is thereby limited to lateral shifting between blocks 282 and 284 which are engaged by abutment 200 secured to slide plate 164.

In operation, cylinder 176 shift-s the carriage assembly back and forth between extreme left and right positions determined by the position of stop block-s 202 and 204. Cylinder 174 is carried by the carriage and is not actuated during the operation of cylinder 176, but rather, is intermittently actuated to reset the carriage to an initial position which is intermediate the above recited extreme left and right positions.

Reference is now made to FIGURE 2 wherein stayer machine 30 is illustrated as being of the same type as that fully set forth in the abovementioned patent, however, it will be noted that the elaborate safety devices have been eliminated from stayer machine 30 and that the previously required treadle has been replaced by pneumatic cylinder 206 which is pivotally connected to skid 1S and the piston rod of which is pivotally connected to operating lever 208 of the stayer machine. It will be readily understood that movement of operating lever 208 in the downward direction actuates the mechanism within stayer 30 whereby a corner stay is fed into position and stamped over the folded corner of the box flat by operation of die member 210. At this point it should be noted that, whereas a stayer machine of the type disclosed in the above-recited patent has been selected for purposes of illustration, the subject invention is equally applicable to various other types of stayer machines and hence, the details of the operating mechanism within casing 30 does not form part of the invention. It is to be further understood that the word stay is intended to include paper or fibrous adhesive tapes as well as various types of staples.

Still referring to FIGURE 2, numeral 40 designates a conveyor which is driven by motor 212 through chain linkage and gearing generically represented by numeral 214. The conveyor is intended to be of conventional construction and the details thereof do not form part of the present invention. As previously set forth, the purpose of conveyor 40 is to convey the completed boxes to the next assembly line position and hence further description of the conveyor is deemed to be unnecessary.

Lastly, FIGURE 2 further shows skid 16 to support a plurality of accessories which include motor 216 driving a plurality of cam valves 218, a compressor 220 which supplies compressed air to each of the previously described'pneumatic cylinders, and a motor operated vacuum pump 222 the purpose of which will hereinafter be described. It will also be noted that skide 16 is provided with an adjustable leg 224 whereby the height of skid 16 may be accurately adjusted.

Reference is now made to FIGURES 1 and 2 wherein support rack is shown to include a pair of upright arms 225 which support a pair of substantially L-shaped trays 227 having adjustable bottom portions 228 which provide the support for a stack of box flats, one of which is indicated at 12. In order to support box flats of various size, arms 225 are slidably mounted on guide rod 230 and threadedly engaged by oppositely threaded portions 232 and 234 of adjusting shaft 236 which may be actuated by handle 238.

In addition to adjusting the width between trays 227 by means of the mechanism just described, provision is made for adjusting the height as well as the horizontal position of the support rack as a whole. This is accomplished by means of base member 240 which is slidable within grooves provided in tracks 242 and 244. As shown in FIGURE 2, base 240 is moved by reason of the threaded engagement between base member 240* and threaded shaft 246, the latter being driven by electric motor 250. Numeral 248 indicates a revolution counter connected to control panel 252 by flexible cable 254 whereby the exact position of rack 10 may be read on dial 256. Similarly, dials 258 and 260 are connected by cables 262 and 264 to motors 136 and 188 so that the vertical position of pedestal 22 and the limit positions of blocks 202 and 204 may be accurately indicated to the operator.

Reference is now made to FIGURE 6 which is a schematic diagram of the pneumatic and electrical control system whereby the above-described components are automatically actuated in a predetermined sequence of operations. Numerals 265 indicate ten cams which are simultaneously driven by shaft 266 which, in turn. is driven through suitable reduction gearing by motor 216. Cams 265 actuate valves 268 through 277. Vacuum pump 222 operates to create a vacuum within shaft 66 and suction cup 70 through line 278. valve 277 and line 279, however, in the event that the box flat should accident-ally become disengaged from suction cup 70, the loss of vacuum pressure is transmitted through line 280 to diaphragm 282 which closes the circuit through microswitch 284 whereby solenoid operated valve 286 is closed, thus preventing the operation of cylinder 206 to actuate the stayer machine.

Each of valves 268 and 270 through 275 are supplied with compressed fluid through common manifold 238 from compressor 220. Valves 271 through 273 supply the motive fluid to cylinders 41 through 43, respectively, the latter serving to rotate shaft 66 through racks 34-36. Similarly, pneumatic cylinder 46 is supplied with motive fluid through valve 270 whereby rack 44 is reciprocated to rotate gear 48 thus pivoting the positioning assembly 20 from the full line position of FIGURE 2 to the position shown in phantom line. Cylinder 88 which actuates rod 66 is supplied with motive fluid through solenoid operated valve 275 which is actuated by microswitch 284, however, it will be noted that cylinders 58 and 60 are supplied through valve 276 which is not supplied by manifold 288, but rather which is supplied through valve 275. This arrangement is provided so that cylinders 58 and 60 cannot operate unless shaft 66 is in the proper extended position. Similarly, cylinder 174 is supplied through valve 268, whereas, cylinder 176 is supplied through valves 268 and 269 which are connected in series. The fluid connections between valves 268 and 269 are arranged such that cylinder 176 may be reciprocated in either direction without supplying motive fluid to cylinder 174, however, when motive fluid is supplied to cylinder 174 the fluid within cylinder 176 is automatically exhausted so that movement of the carriage assembly caused by cylinder 174 is not opposed by the action of cylinder 176.

Reference is now made to the electrical control system a portion of which is shown in FIGURE 6. Numeral 290 indicates a conventional electrical power source to which motor driven compressor 220 and motor 216 are connected in series. Also connected in series within this circuit are switches 292, 294 and 296. Toggle switch 292 normally operates compressor 220, however, it is placed in series with toggle switch 294 and push button switch 296 which actuate motor 216 so that the motor 216 will not be actuated unless compressor 220 is being driven. Push button switch 296 is provided so that the cam train may be rotated through less than 360 degrees while setting the cams, however, once the cams have been set, the normal operation is achieved through closure of toggle switch 294 which is connected in parallel with push button switch 296.

The remainder of the electrical control system, shown in FIGURE 1, includes forward push button switches 298 and reverse push button switches 300 which are connected in series with motors 136, 188 and 250 which operate to set the vertical height of pedestal 22, the maximum left and right positions of stop blocks 202, 204 and the position of rack 10, respectively. Lastly, toggle switch 302 is connected in series with motor driven vacuum pump 222. It will be readily understood that the latter described switches may be connected to power source 290 or a separate source if it is so desired and that each of the switches is connected in a conventional series circuit arrangement which is not deemed to require illustration in detail.

The integrated operation of the entire system will now be described with particular reference to FIGURES 1, 2 and 6. First. the operator manually rotates handle 238 to thereby adjust the width of rack 10 to fit the particular size box which is to be assembled. Thereafter, rack 10 is filled with a plurality of box flats of the selected size. Push button switches 298 and 300 are then actuated so that the vertical height of pedestal 22, the limit positions of blocks 202, 204 and the proper position of rack 10 are achieved, the position of each being indicated by dials 256, 258 and 260. Stops 132 and 134 7 of the proper length for the selected box size are then afiixed to rods 122 and 124. Lastly, the vertical position of support 56 is selected for the particular box size in question and is bolted to vertical support 52 by the insertion of bolt 54 in the proper aperture 53. The entire system is now ready for operation.

The operation of the system is initiated by closure of switch 302 thereby actuating vacuum pump 222 so that a suction pressure is maintained within the hollow portion of shaft 66 and the interior of suction cup 70. Toggle switches 292 and 294 are then closed so that compressor 220 and cam driving motor 216 are actuated. From this point on, the sequence of operations is fully automatic and is determined by the relative positions of cams 265 as they are rotated through one revolution by motor 216 through suitable reduction gearing.

First, valve 270 is actuated by its associated cam so that rack 44 rotates gear 48 and the entire positioning mechanism from .the full line position shown in FIG- URE 2 to that shown in phantom line. At this point, valve 275 opens to admit motive fluid to cylinder 88 whereby shaft 66 and suction cup 70 are extended and the latter is thereby forced into engagement with the bottommost box flat 12. Due to the suction pressure within shaft 66 and cup 70, the latter acts to pull the bottommost box flat through the bottom of rack 10 as double acting cylinder 88 retracts shaft 66. Valve 270 then admits motive fluid to the opposite end of cylinder 46 whereby the positioning mechanism 26 is rotated back to the full line position shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. At this point, the box fiat lies in a vertical plane adjacent anvil 14 with suction cup 70 laterally centered with respect to anvil 14 but vertically spaced below the anvil. Thus, in order to bring one corner of the box flat into alignment with anvil 14, cylinders 43 and 176 are actuated successively or simultaneously, the former serving to rotate shaft 66 and the latter serving to laterally shift the shaft. Of course, the proper alignment is achieved in this manner due to stop 134 on shaft 124 which allows shaft 66 to rotate the proper amount and stops 262, 264 which allow the proper amount of lateral displacement. Box flat 12 is then in the position shown in FIGURE 1 wherein the first corner is aligned with anvil 14. Valve 275 then admits motive fluid to cylinder 88 so that rod 66 extends and thereby places the aligned corner of box flat 12 over anvil 14 as also shown in FIGURE 1. Valve 276 then admits fluid to cylinders 58 and 66 whereby rods 62 are extended and engage adjacent flaps of the box flat and fold the flaps over anvil 14 as further shown in FIGURE 1. proper position for the application of a corner stay. This is automatically accomplished by the operation of valves 274 and 286, the latter being opened so long as vacuum pressure is maintained within shaft 66. Valves 274 and 286 admit pressurized fluid to cylinder 206 which actuates rod 268 so that stayer machine 31) applies a corner stay to the box flat. Immediately upon the application of a corner stay, valve 275 exhausts the fluid from the rear end of cylinder 83 and supplies motive fluid to the forward end thereof so that shaft 66 and the box flat are withdrawn a short distance from anvil 14. Simultaneously, rods '62 are retracted by operation of valve 276 and cylinders 58 and 66.

Valve 273 then actuates cylinder 41 and rack 34 which rotate shaft 66 one hundred and eighty degrees through clutch assembly 162. Valve 275 then actuates cylinder 88 so that the box flat is again moved adjacent the anvil with the diagonally opposite corner now being positioned adjacent the anvil. Valve 27 6 then actuates cylinders 58 and 60 so that the adjacent flaps are folded over the anvil. Cylinder 296 again actuates stayer mechanism so that a second corner stay is applied. Shaft 66 and rods 62 are again partially retracted by their respective actuating cylinders. Valve 268 then admits fluid pressure to cylinder 176 whereby the entire carriage assembly Thus, one corner of the box fiat is then in is laterally shifted in the opposite direction to that previously described and, simultaneously, valve 272 admits fluid pressure to cylinder 42 whereby rack 35 and clutch assembly 164 rotate shaft 66 and the box flat to a position such that the third corner of the box flat is aligned with anvil 14-. The amount of rotation of shaft 66 is determined by removable stop 124 which permits the same amount of movement of cylinder 4'2 previously accomplished by cylinder 43. Again, cylinder 83 extends shaft 66 so that the third corner is properly positioned over anvil 14, rods 62 are extended and a corner stay is applied thereto by the operation of cylinder 206. Shaft 66 is then retracted and cylinder 41 is again actuated so that the flat is rotated through one hundred and eighty degrees thereby bringing the fourth corner in alignment with anvil 14. Shaft 66 again extends and positions the fourth corner over anvil 14. Rods 62 are again extended and stayer mechanism 30 thereafter applies the fourth corner stay. Shaft 66 is then retracted and valve 277 opens to exhaust the suction pressure in shaft 66 and suction cup whereby the completed box drops on conveyor 40 and is carried to the next position on the assembly line. At this point, cylinder 174 is actuated by valve 263 and the carriage assembly is thus returned to its initial centered position which is intermediate the left and right hand extreme positions to which it was shifted by cylinder 176. The entire system is thereby returned to its initial condition and the cycle is then automatically repeated with regard to the next box flat in rack 10.

It will be understood that the above description of the operation refers to that which occurs when the box flat is of rectangular shape as shown in the illustrated embodiment, however, the system is equally capable of forming square boxes in which case the lateral shifting of the assembly is unnecessary since each of the four corners will automatically be aligned with the anvil as shaft 66 is rotated. Thus, when a square box is to be assembled, removable stops 132 and 134 are replaced by other stops which properly limit the rotation of shaft 66 so that each corner is properly positioned with respect to anvil 14. The operation of the system is otherwise identical to that previously set forth in the case of rectangular boxes.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the subject invention provides a fully automatic system whereby one operator may operate a large number of box assembly machines and wherein there is no danger of injury to the operator. Thus, the subject invention provides a completely automatic and fail safe system for assembling boxes of various size and one which requires a minimum of manual operation. Of course, numerous modifications and alterations are possible within the scope of the invention, and hence, the invention is intended to be in no way limited to the particular embodiment set forth hereinabove for purposes of illustra- 1011.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In combination, means for storing a plurality of box flats, positioning means associated with said storage means for individually removing said box flats from said storage means and successively positioning each of said individual box flats in a plurality of predetermined positions, and stayer means for applying a corner stay to each of said box flats while the latter is positioned in each of said predetermined positions.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 wherein said storage means include means for adjusting the size thereof to accommodate various sized box flats.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1 further including means for folding the flaps of the box flat to form the corners thereof prior to the operation of said stay applying means.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 1 including means for adjusting the height and lateral position of said positioning means.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 4 further including means for automatically preventing the operation of said stayer means when said box flat becomes disengaged from said positioning means.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 1 including means for moving said positioning means from a first position wherein said box flats are removed from said storage means to a second position wherein said positioning means positions said box flat in said plurality of predetermined positions.

7. The combination as claimed in claim 1 including means responsive to said positioning means for automatically actuating said stayer means.

8. In a box assembly system, the combination comprising; a box flat engaging member mounted for movement from a first position wherein it engages one of a plurality of box flats to a second position wherein it positions said one box flat in a predetermined position, a stayer mechanism including an anvil and a die element positioned such that said box fiat overlies said anvil when said box flat is moved to said predetermined position by said engaging member, said stayer mechanism further including an actuator member which actuates said die element to apply a stay to said box flat, motive power means operatively associated with members for supplying motive power thereto, and a control system operatively associ ated with said power means for sequentially operating said motive power means.

9. The combination as claimed in claim 8 further including a box flat folding member operatively positioned to fold said box flat over said anvil prior to the operation of said die element.

10. The combination as claimed in claim 8 further including an adjustable rack supporting said plurality of box flats from which said engaging member individually removes said box flats when said engaging member is in said first position.

ll. In a box assembly system wherein stays are applied to box flats for securing the corners thereof the combination including, means for storing a plurality of box flats, positioning means associated with said storage means for individually removing said box flats from said storage means and successively positioning each of said individual box flats in a plurality of predetermined positions wherein said stays are applied.

12. The combination as claimed in claim 11 further including means for adjusting the size and position of said storage means to accommodate box flats of various size.

13. The combination as claimed in claim 11 further including means for folding the flaps of the box flats to form corners thereof prior to the application of the stays.

14. The combination as claimed in claim 11 further including means for adjusting the height and lateral posi- 16 tion of said positioning means to accommodate box flats of various size.

15. The combination as claimed in claim 11 further including means for moving said positioning means from a first position wherein said box flats are removed from said storage means to a second position wherein said positioning means orientate said box flat in said plurality of predetermined positions.

16. In combination, a stayer mechanism for applying corner stays to folded box flats, a storage rack for supporting a plurality of unfolded box flats, and a box feeder mechanism for individually removing said box flats from said storage rack, folding the flaps of said flats, and orientating said folded flats in a plurality of positions wherein said stays are applied, said feeder mechanism including a mount, means for adjusting the vertical and lateral position of said mount, means for limiting the amount of vertical and lateral movement of said mount, means for adjusting said limiting means between maximum and minimum limits, said feeder mechanism further including a positioning assembly pivota-lly connected to said mount, means for oscillating said assembly about said pivotal connection between first and second positions, said assembly including first and second extension members, means for actuating said first extension member to engage an unfolded box fiat supported in said storage rack and remove said flat therefrom when said assembly is in said first position, means for actuating said second extension member to engage adjacent flaps of said fiat and fold said flaps to form the corners of a box, means for actuating said first extension member to orientate said folded flat in a plurality of positions within said stayer mechanism, and means for actuating said stayer mechanism to apply stays to said corners.

17. The combination as claimed in claim 16 wherein said means for oscillating said assembly, said means for actuating said first and second extension members, and said means for actuating said stayer mechanism comprise fluid power means.

18. The combination as claimed in claim 17 further including a control system for automatically initiating the operation of each of said actuating means in a predetermined sequence.

19. The combination as claimed in claim 16 further including a vacuum source connected to said first extension member for retaining engagement of said box flat.

20. The combination as claimed in claim 16 wherein said means for actuating said extension member to orientate said folded flat also actuates said means for adjusting the lateral position of said mount so that rectangular flats are properly orientated in said plurality of positions within said stayer mechanism.

No references cited. 

11. IN A BOX ASSEMBLY SYSTEM WHEREIN STAYS ARE APPLIED TO BOX FLATS FOR SECURING THE CORNERS THEREOF THE COMBINATION INCLUDING, MEANS FOR STORING A PLURALITY OF BOX FLATS, POSITIONING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID STORAGE MEANS FOR INDIVIDUALLY REMOVING SAID BOX FLATS FROM SAID STORAGE MEANS AND SUCCESSIVELY POSITIONING EACH OF SAID INDIVIDUAL BOX FLATS IN A PLURALITY OF PREDETERMINED POSITIONS WHEREIN SAID STAYS ARE APPLIED. 